Republicans resurrect anti-transgender campaign ads featuring 'they/them' language in relation to Kamala Harris for the midterm elections
In the lead-up to the 2024 election cycle, transgender-related issues have become a strategic focus for Republican campaigns in competitive U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races. These ads aim to mobilize conservative voters and frame opponents as supportive of transgender rights in a negative light.
One such ad, produced by the Senate Leadership Fund, targets North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, with the title "Roy Cooper Sides with 'They/Them'." This tactic is a reprisal of a key attack line from last year's presidential race. The ad criticises Cooper for his stance on transgender policies, using language similar to attacks from the previous campaign.
Similarly, in Georgia's Senate race, an ad attacking Sen. Jon Ossoff references a broadcast and states, "Man-to-man defense isn't woke enough for Ossoff - he's playing for 'they/them.' Call and tell Sen. Ossoff, stop dunking on defenseless girls."
The Human Rights Campaign is planning a series of town halls in red-state cities over the summer, aimed at supporting LGBTQ individuals and policies. Meanwhile, the Christopher Street Project, a PAC formed earlier this month, has endorsed and is raising funds for candidates that advocate for pro-transgender policies.
Notably, a minor Democratic candidate for California governor, Stephen Cloobeck, has turned the tables on Trump and Republicans with an ad showing Trump's photo next to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The effect of these ads is multifaceted. They energize conservative and right-wing voter bases by focusing on culturally divisive "transgender issues," potentially increasing turnout among these groups. They may also influence moderate or swing voters by framing transgender rights as a contentious social issue, potentially swaying close races where these topics are salient.
These attack ads reflect and amplify broader social and legislative trends opposing transgender rights. Anti-transgender legislation has surged, including bans on gender-affirming care for minors and restrictions in educational settings, often supported by Republican lawmakers.
However, the precise quantitative impact on election outcomes still requires detailed electoral analysis. What is clear from the current U.S. context is that transgender-related messaging is a prominent and polarizing tactic in competitive races, aiming to capitalise on existing social divides and mobilise voters around transgender issues.
As the election season heats up, it remains to be seen how these tactics will play out in the upcoming midterm elections, particularly in states like North Carolina and Georgia, where Republicans are launching transgender-focused attacks against Democrats in the US Senate races.
- In the world of social media, political campaigns are using transgender-related issues as a strategic focus in competitive U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races, with the aim of mobilizing conservative voters.
- The Human Rights Campaign, a group supporting LGBTQ individuals and policies, is planning town halls in red-state cities this summer to counter these attacks.
- Meanwhile, the Christopher Street Project, a new political action committee, is endorsing and raising funds for candidates who advocate for pro-transgender policies.
- The entertainment industry is not immune to the impact of politics, as seen in a California gubernatorial ad that uses photographs of Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell to criticize a minor Democratic candidate.
- War-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, and sports might seem unrelated, but they, along with pop-culture and general-news, form part of the broader social and political landscape where such politically charged ads take root and gain traction.
